Windows 8: Not even Microsoft thinks businesses will use it

[pparks1]

Like Thelma and Louise, executives at Microsoft's Windows division have no doubts about which direction they want to point the car. It's pedal to the floor, and over the cliff as fast as they can drive.

Last week the latest Windows 8 public preview confirmed what many had expected and feared: there will be no compromise on the schizophrenic user interface behaviour Microsoft is forcing on users.

Read the rest of the story at The Register here;

 

[GEWB]

Part of my retirement portfolio includes Microsoft stock - I think it may be time to rethink that path and go with something that isn't heavily invested in MS.

Regards,
GEWB

 

[bigcitycat]

I don't get the problem. Microsoft I think realizes the majority of business is still in xp land. That most will upgrade tp 7 and will be there for a very long time. Windows 8 is pushed out relatively quickly and gives them time to setup an environment that is suited for tablets and mobile touch screen devices. They know business will be using 7 for a long time. Windows 8 is not a commercial release. I have used it and it's not bad but I will not be moving to it. I really like Windows 7.

 

[jimbo45]

Part of my retirement portfolio includes Microsoft stock - I think it may be time to rethink that path and go with something that isn't heavily invested in MS.

Regards,
GEWB

Hi there

Flog now while it's around 29.6 USD.
MSFT isn't going bust any time soon but this seems to me a good time to exit that particular trade.

Another solution is to "Short" the stock --or even better Sell a CALL option for 30 USD - expiry 21 july.

You'll get the "premium" whatever happens to the shares --and if the price goes above 30 USD you have to sell at 30 USD -- but at the price you originally paid for the stock you've probably made money anyway. The premium you get STRAIGHT AWAY in your bank account is around 63 cents a share -- per contract that's 63 dollars so on 10 contracts ( 1 contract on options is 100 shares) that's 630 dollars before you do ANYTHING. If the price doesn't reach 30 USD at expiration -- nothing happens -- if the shares go over then you have to sell at 30 USD -- but hopefully you bought the shares at LESS than 30 USD. Whatever happens you KEEP the premium. !!

(Please though before taking any Financial advice do your research -- I've done this stuff quite a lot but DO take care before you start trading).

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Trucidation]

So according to that, Metro is a gamble at the consumer market, while hoping their enterprise customers stick around (presumably with Windows 7)?

What is this I don't even

 

[Borg 386]

Well, you know how MS OS's go....like Star Trek Movies...every other one is terrible....

But yes, I see in the article that businesses will have to retrain people on it...and apparently people everywhere also will have to learn a new system, as they have gotten rid of the "classic" interface.

From the article "Final thoughts on Windows 8: A design disaster"

The first problem comes when you try to find the application you want to run. Every version of Windows since Windows 95 has trained us to scroll through a vertical list looking for the applications we want to, but with Windows 8, Microsoft has thrown away this concept and instead adopted a system called the Start Screen where the links to all your apps are spread across the screen.

As a result, rather than keeping your attention focused on a small part of the screen, you’ve now got to scan through the entire screen. The larger the screen, the more area you have to scan. It turns the process of finding the app you want to run into a game of “Where’s Waldo?” — and I detest playing that game or puzzle, or whatever it is.

The last think I want is for my PC to force me into playing “hunt the app” every time I want to get something done.

Microsoft has an escape chute, given that you’re not going to be able to find anything, and added a search feature that allows you to filter the apps by typing the name of what you’re looking for. This works, but it’s clumsy and makes a mockery of having all the icons displayed on screen in the first place. Every time I’m forced to use it, it’s another failure for the Microsoft design team.

Final thoughts on Windows 8: A design disaster | ZDNet

 

[pcunite]

They know business will be using 7 for a long time. Windows 8 is not a commercial release. I have used it and it's not bad but I will not be moving to it. I really like Windows 7.

I would imagine 80% of people feel that way. Why throw away years of kinesthetic learning for something that is not better ... just different? I guess if I had $50B in the bank I might take a gamble too.

 

[simmo]

It won't be getting me...I have read that 8 is faster than 7 in boot/shut down times but I just don't like the look of it never mind dragging fingers across a $500 monitor. Appears to be targeted at the phone/notebook/laptop market.

 

[pparks1]

^ It's faster, but only by 2-3 seconds. I'm not sure if that is really all that advantageous.

 

[lkgriffith]

Switching to Apple

I have used nearly every platform Microsoft has issued since ca 1985. The primary reason was that I could configure the hardware and software to meet my needs as a developer and the needs of my customers. I jumped on NT 3.1 at Beta 2 and didn't bail until Vista (gack!). As soon as I could, I started using Windows 7 and hoped that was a signal that Microsoft had regained its sanity.

I have attempted to use Windows 8 and can force it to work in an uncomfortable comprised way by massive reconfiguration and adding my own software. Still I must go though that abortion of a UI called Metro. If I could boot to the log in screen and transfer from there to the desktop, I could live with it sort of. I will delivering my software on the Windows 7 platform as long as it exists and will not be using Windows 8 (aka Vista 2.0) in any form.

I have arranged to have Apple hardware and software delivered to me shortly and will start developing for the Mac and iPad. At least Apple doesn't force the insanity of a user interface that is inferior for a touch phone on the developer and power user. I would rather learn Objective C and Cocoa programming than fight the gross stupidities that Microsoft is forcing upon us.

Microsoft? Thanks for all the fish. It's time for me to move on.

 

[vbkun]

sorry to inform you but apple is doing it too. they are 'sucking' watever they can from ios to osx. And, in my humble opnion, they are doing it in a worse and more forceful way than MS.

Apple is not taking just interface elements, but also inner-working too (for ex. the fact most recent ver of osx tries to 'save state' of the application when you close it, for later restoring just like a tablet/phone do).

Anyways, overall your comment was funny to me 'cause I have a mac-friend preparing himself to move to windows for the same reason you are moving to mac.

 

[Stratos]

Apple did some good things and a lot of questionable (bad) things to OSX Lion. I haven't previewed ML 10.8 yet, but my initial impressions of 10.7 Lion was not good.

Inverting the scrolling calling it "natural scrolling", not having an easy way to maximize the window without either using a mod or manually resizing, Airdrop not being compatible with anything but other Lion equipped machines, Launchpad is absolutely worthless and Mission Control didn't prove to offer any significant benefit over Expose/Spaces.

People may buy into having new "features" but what makes them useful is how they "benefit" the user. When you merely put useless features into the OS, users will notice.

 

[IPlayFair]

Apple Experiencing Similar

Part of my retirement portfolio includes Microsoft stock - I think it may be time to rethink that path and go with something that isn't heavily invested in MS.

Regards,
GEWB

I've been considering switching to a Mac. I am not dissatisfied with Windows but I've been using it so long I want a different user experience. While doing my research I'm finding a lot of resistance to Apple's upcoming Mountain Lion upgrade. There are over 200 changes in the OS. The chief complaint is the IOSification of the OS. For me, I embrace change. I enjoy learning new things.

So, from Microsoft point of view, any users loss because of the the changes in Windows 8 will be made up from Mac users switching to Windows.

With the changes in Windows 8 I think I will stick around and experience something different. That's just me.

 

[IPlayFair]

Apple did some good things and a lot of questionable (bad) things to OSX Lion. I haven't previewed ML 10.8 yet, but my initial impressions of 10.7 Lion was not good.

Inverting the scrolling calling it "natural scrolling", not having an easy way to maximize the window without either using a mod or manually resizing, Airdrop not being compatible with anything but other Lion equipped machines, Launchpad is absolutely worthless and Mission Control didn't prove to offer any significant benefit over Expose/Spaces.

People may buy into having new "features" but what makes them useful is how they "benefit" the user. When you merely put useless features into the OS, users will notice.

True, but the same can be said when purchasing a new car. Often, the only changes made to a Ford Explorer (example) is the bumpers change, or the exterior light fixtures change. Its the same explorer it just looks a little different. People will still buy nonetheless, others will keep using what they have. Businesses make changes with the hope of attracting more customers or keeping the customers they interested in their product. They don't make changes to piss customers off. Some customers will like the change, others will not. And yes, some will take their business elsewhere. That's life.

 

[Stratos]

Apple did some good things and a lot of questionable (bad) things to OSX Lion. I haven't previewed ML 10.8 yet, but my initial impressions of 10.7 Lion was not good.

Inverting the scrolling calling it "natural scrolling", not having an easy way to maximize the window without either using a mod or manually resizing, Airdrop not being compatible with anything but other Lion equipped machines, Launchpad is absolutely worthless and Mission Control didn't prove to offer any significant benefit over Expose/Spaces.

People may buy into having new "features" but what makes them useful is how they "benefit" the user. When you merely put useless features into the OS, users will notice.

True, but the same can be said when purchasing a new car. Often, the only changes made to a Ford Explorer (example) is the bumpers change, or the exterior light fixtures change. Its the same explorer it just looks a little different. People will still buy nonetheless, others will keep using what they have. Businesses make changes with the hope of attracting more customers or keeping the customers they interested in their product. They don't make changes to piss customers off. Some customers will like the change, others will not. And yes, some will take their business elsewhere. That's life.

Good example. The bumper, light/fixtures changes appear to represent mostly cosmetic changes, so I don't believe it's going to affect the actual operation of the new model. By comparison I don't mind minor changes to the look of icons, desktop wallpaper as most of those can be altered by the user anyway.

Apple made a really bad impression with OSX Lion when they inverted the mouse/trackpad by default. I immediately thought that perhaps OSX Lion was short on "new features" that they did it to give the illusion that it's quite different from OSX Snow Leopard.

When MS decided to do away with the Start/Win button, I have to ask myself what prompted the need to remove something everyone was used to and had no problems with it? I look back to the OSX Lion encounter and believe they did it just to make it seem like it's radically different than Windows 7. This is just my interpretation of this matter and not based on facts.

From my experience, people usually don't mind changes to how they interact with any OS as long as the updated changes make sense, is useful and is a clear improvement to how they did things before. When all it does is change things just for the sake of change, then users are more often frustrated, burdened and/or inconvenienced as a result.

 

[IPlayFair]

Good discussion gentlemen and/or ladies. I've been enlightened.